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Man Dies From COVID-19 After Repeatedly Dismissing Pandemic As “Hype”

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3 years ago

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Jul 16, 2020 11:13pm EDT

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Mark Andrew

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A man from Ohio named Richard Rose recently passed away days after testing positive of coronavirus.
The 37-year-old has downplayed the outbreak as a “hype” and swore he will not buy a mask.
His friends hope his story would serve as a warning for others.

In his Facebook posts, Richard Rose has frequently expressed his disbelief about the coronavirus pandemic. At one point, he wrote he isn’t “buying into the damn hype” and will never get a mask despite all the reminders from health authorities.

Eventually, he ended up contracting the dreaded disease. He tested positive just last July 1 after showing several symptoms. On July 4, he passed away at his home in Port Clinton, Ohio.

Richard Rose, 37 years old, died several days after testing positive of coronavirus.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is richard-rose-covid19-1.png

His last social media post read, “This covid sh*t sucks! I’m so out of breath just sitting here.”

This covid shit sucks! I’m so out of breath just sitting here.
Posted by Richard Rose on Thursday, July 2, 2020

Richard’s earlier rants, however, were the ones that received a lot of attention from netizens online.

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Case in point, he bashed the Black Lives Matter protests that followed the death of George Floyd. In fact, he called the movement a “joke.” He also lambasted face coverings worn by those belonging to the Islamic faith.

Richard dismissed the pandemic as a “damn hype,” swearing he will not wear a mask despite what others say.

Let make this clear. I’m not buying a fucking mask. I’ve made it this far by not buying into that damn hype.
Posted by Richard Rose on Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Now his friends are hoping that his story would serve as a warning for everyone that the virus is real.

I’ve been very sick the past few days. Symptoms of Covid-19. This morning I finally got swabbed. I should know soon what the results are. I just want to feel good again!
Posted by Richard Rose on Wednesday, July 1, 2020

In a media interview, his friend Nick Conley later said:

“It’s horrible that we lost Rick but the even more tragic part of that is who else became infected because of the actions that he chose. Rick is getting slaughtered online right now for his decision that he made not to wear a mask and that’s not right.”